Peregrina651

Today's stupid question. On a clear day, can the Viking ships docked at Greenwich be seen from the top of the EYE? If not, Londoners, where is a good high place to go to get pictures of the ship. Thanks everybody.

Dee, I'm really sorry that you missed the river cruise. We did the river cruise in 2010. Viking's China team has been my gold standard ever since; they were a well-oiled machine with never a missed beat. The river vessel carried around 300 pax. I can't remember how many buses we were but the guide-escorts knew how to stagger arrival times at the various venues such that we were not tripping over one another, including at meals. In country, we were spread over multiple scheduled flights. The guide-escorts were great at getting us through security and on to the plane, with almost no waiting in the lounge area. In other words, they had the people moving down to a science. Most importantly, the our escorts knew where the good bathrooms were -- but even then, you need to bring your own supplies -- tp and sanitizer. (For more details, see the RiverCruising thread called Viking China Part 2) I do agree with you however, that managing 900 vs 300 is a concern but I think Viking's China office is up to the task. There are many hotel options in China and Viking will probably use more than one hotel in each city. Viking has been visiting these cities on a regular basis for well over 10 years. Moreover, I would not be surprised to learn that they have opted less than full capacity at the start of the venture -- similar to the Welcome Back Cruises of 2021, which carried less than 500 pax. What makes you say that? Viking has been already spent over 10 years in China taking boatloads of guests to Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an and Tibet. They already know where to take people for meals. Just know in advance that if you don't like Chinese food, then you should not be considering this itinerary. In China, most of the meals were included even for the land-based portion. Breakfast buffets at the various hotels were huge and varied, catering to many different cultures and their breakfasting preferences. Lunches and dinners were in hotels and other venues that catered to large touring groups. Food was local cuisine served family style on lazy-susans. Sometimes it was buffet. These were venues that served the group tours industry and they operated 7 days a week; they have plenty of experience at serving large groups of people in a timely fashion. Viking has been doing business in China since the mid-2000s and is well respected. They work with local staff, all of whom are trained in the hospitality. They know what they are doing and they understand the audience they are working with.

What a bummer that the invoice spoiled the surprise!

We claimed against the insurance in 2007 for a cellphone dropped and subsequently stolen. No problems. Filed claim; received our check. But that was a long time ago and it was a small claim. The insurance company is still way ahead in the relationship -- we've paid them way more than they have paid us.

😞 Not the same sailing. She'll be disembarking in NYC as you board. Here's my email: peregrina651- cc7 @ yahoo.com (remove all 3 spaces but keep the hyphen). Depending on your device, you may or may not see signature files.

E, I wonder if you will be on board with my sister? Email me; it's in my signature. Whale watching the "demanding " can be as simple as getting on and off the boat, but I'm just guessing. The day before we left for Iceland, I received a cortisone injection for a painful and frozen shoulder. It took another 3 days before I could dress myself. We took the zodiac glacier tour. Fortunately, I was fairly mobile before we reached Djupivogur. The bus ride to the glacier is 2+ hours each way with a pit stop. This is definitely not for the wheelchair dependent. The path to the water is au natural -- rocky, uneven, steep, not paved. I can't remember if anyone used aids. I was too busy watching where I was putting my feet. Getting into the zodiac requires that, dressed in the waterproof safety gear they supply (see photo above) you sit on the edge of the raft, height around 30? inches, and swing your feet up and over into the boat. You may then have to walk to your position on the side of the raft. They load from the rear and fill seats front to back. I was concerned about my shoulder but in the end I was able to do all that was required of me. You sit on the edge of the raft; think blow up swimming pool. Minimal hand holds. AND, it was amazing,thrilling and everything I hoped it would be. I've tried to cover the physical challenge and I hope the more folks can add more details. I will try to remember to add photos later.

Old customs die hard. Once upon a time, in days of yore, when some of us were children, one tipped the attendant in the restroom or cloakroom (especially at fancy hotels, theaters and concert halls). I remember toilets in the department stores and airport with coin slots on the stall doors. Users needed a coin to unlock the stall. In some places, the coin was returned at the end of the transaction. One paid for what one used. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Education is not free; it is paid for by the citizens out of the very high taxes paid. Everyone chips in to ensure that all children, future taxpayers, have access to education. Same way it is done in the US.

It is possible that at the time that PRH was sailing, one of those two was an optional excursion not an included and now for 2024 is being offered as an included.

My bad! Hockeyump is absolutely right. Thanks for catching my error. My eyes skipped right over the word included. It is one included per port, no matter how many days there are in that port. I was able to book two tours in port because one of those tours was an optional tour.

You will get an error message if there is not enough time the two tours. I can't remember how much time is needed (half hour? 45 min? an hour?). I had no trouble signing up for two tours in Holyhead but there is 2 hours between the two tours we want to take. Book the morning tour and then try to book the afternoon tour when you board, even going to the point of trying to get a seat as they are loading the buses (especially if the timing is tight and you don't want to pay for a tour that you might not be able to take because the first tour ran late). Just talk with shorex personnel on the dock; with the joy of mobile phones they can handle the transaction right there. You could book the afternoon and then try to get on the morning tour as just described, but you have to make sure that you get the timing absolutely correct on the morning tour,so that you are back in time. In other words, doing it this way is a bit trickier and a bit more prone to failure.

InsureMyTrip.com They are a broker but you can compare prices. Personally, we have been using TravelGuard for years.

Oh my goodness! Does that look delicious!! Thank you!

Our second river cruise with Viking was filled with a group of bridge-players put together by a guy whose business was organizing and escorting such tours. In multiple ports along the way, they had arranged bridge games with local bridge clubs. Language was no barrier to finding clubs. So it seems to me that there must be something similar out there for oenophiles.

You are looking for a message like this. It might not appear if Viking Air is itemized on the invoice. I had to look at three different versions of this invoice to find this. This is just a sample. Do not rely on this for making your plans.

Unfortunately, most of the tables for 2 are side by side with just barely enough room to get between them.

Or perhaps that different TAs have different timing as to when they inform Viking.

What does it say on your Viking invoice? If you don't have Viking Air, it should tell what the earliest flight time you can make is. You may have to look on other than your final payment invoice to find the information.

Just to clarify. The cancellation policy for voyages more than 35 days is different. It is 180 days and $1000.

I wonder what the numbers are these days now that the package prices have gone up.

Because enough people complained.

The wine list on any vessel is ever-shifting sands. You don't really know what is actually in stock until you arrive on board. Your best bet for questions about river boats is River Cruising. There you can catch the attention of those currently on board or recently returned to answer your question.

Again, thank you! This is marvelous information for folks with mobility issues. One question. Did you tip the wheelchair guy? Or phrased another way, is Turkey one of cultures where tipping is the norm and not just a tourist thing?

Not a line. A bead.

Okay, you can all laugh at this, but I would do something similar. Not because I'm obsessed with some toy but for a learning experience for my grandson, who already has a number of custom-made photo albums from our trips (sans toy).